Music Editor Bas Bevan reviews The Amazons’ show at the O2 Institute, describing it as a fantastic live performance that was taken to another level by the songs from the band’s most recent album
After the release of their third album How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? in September which achieved their highest ever UK chart position, Reading rock band The Amazons came to the O2 Institute in Birmingham on the 15th of October as part of their UK and Ireland tour. Having watched them give a great performance at the Utilita Arena supporting Royal Blood in March I was very excited to see them play a longer set in a more intimate environment.
The support acts for the tour were curated with BBC Introducing which allowed ambitious local bands to play the opening slot in each city. The Novus were chosen for their hometown show in Birmingham and clearly rose to the occasion. Their exciting and in some ways old school sounding rock songs injected energy into the crowd and were driven along by the lead singer who commanded attention and even got down into the crowd. The set was entertaining and enjoyable, and it was great to see a local band make the most of the opportunity.
The Amazon’s came onto the cinematic sound of some strings before bursting into the title track from their new album ‘How Will I Know?’ with its pounding drum beat from Joe Emmett. The song shows off the best parts of The Amazons’ sound with a big chorus and plenty of opportunities for the crowd to singalong, electrifying guitars and Matt Thomson’s hair-raising voice. They then went straight into another single from the album ‘Ready For Something’, a hard-hitting heavy track which again puts all of the band’s strengths on display.
…their catalogue explores many different styles and influences in rock music.
They played songs from across all three of their albums, with the first two blending in perfectly with their new record and showing how their catalogue explores many different styles and influences in rock music. Tracks like ‘Doubt It’ and ‘Mother’ from Future Dust that are darker and more bluesy added another aspect to the set alongside some of the softer songs from How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? and the timeless sound of their debut effort. ‘Ultraviolet’ was a great example from their first record and had the crowd belting out the chorus while wildly jumping up and down. ‘In My Mind’ which is from the same album was also amazing with its ferociously heavy sound and showed off the skill of each member.
The show was a great advert for the band’s new album and showed off its different sounds and continuing theme. The record, like a great many of those released recently, was heavily inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic and it explores this in many different ways which were all displayed in their performance. The warm aesthetic of ‘Say It Again’ sounded amazing live and showed the personal side of How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? as well as the album’s obvious American influence.
‘There’s A Light’ and ‘In The Morning’ are two more of the record’s anthemic tracks that they played and everyone could be heard singing their hopeful messages. Acoustic ballad ‘Northern Star’ was one of the highlights of the show thanks to the star-like lights shone around the room which were coupled with the lights from phones in the audience, and the crowd singing the chorus together.
The show was a great advert for the band’s new album and showed off its different sounds and continuing theme.
The night was full of surprises, the biggest being Harry Koisser from Peace coming out to sing the band’s song ‘Lovesick’ with The Amazons. Matt explained how Harry, who is local to the area, helped them with the album and also how the band had loved watching Peace at Reading Festival when they were younger. They also jumped between Back In Black by AC/DC and two hits from Birmingham legends Black Sabbath, ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Paranoid’ during a jam later in the set. These unexpected elements were another reason why it was an unforgettable and joyful night.
Towards the end of the performance they played some of their well-loved earlier tracks. ‘Junk Food Forever’ was one of the best songs of the night and was a truly euphoric moment. Everyone in the crowd could be heard screaming out the lyrics all the way through and especially in the chorus, a situation which The Amazons seem to be masters at creating. Relentless rock track ‘Stay With Me’, which was one of the band’s first releases, was also incredibly exciting and filled the room with upbeat energy. They also did an acoustic cover of another one of their early songs ‘Nightdriving’ which included a mandolin and harmonica, making it a refreshing version that again got an ecstatic reaction from the band’s long-time fans.
For the encore they did the lead single from How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? ‘Bloodrush’, which is one of the standout tracks from the album thanks again to its big chorus and passionate and emotional lyrics and sound, and fan favourite ‘Black Magic’ which provided the best example of the band’s showmanship and how at home they seem when performing live. Its big, theatrical ending with outstanding guitar and drum solos was the ideal ending for the great show that they put on.
The songs from How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? clearly have taken their performances up a level making them even more stirring and exciting…
The Amazons are continuing to demonstrate why they are one of the most talented rock bands that the UK has to offer. They have always managed to pack a huge amount of energy and spirit into their music which has always been best appreciated in person where the passion and arena sized sound can be experienced full-on. Their most recent album has again amplified this whilst also showing their versatility, maturity and range of influences. The songs from How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? clearly have taken their performances up a level making them even more stirring and exciting and this was something that could be fully felt in Birmingham.
I feel lucky to have seen them at the O2 Institute as they deserve to be playing much bigger venues, but the connection that could be felt between the audience and the band in the smaller room gave the show an incredibly special atmosphere. The personal sentiment of the newer songs was intensified and resonated from everyone as they sang along. The Amazons now seem to have reached a level where they should be regarded as a must-see act with exciting songs in many different styles and themes, to go along with their obvious talent for performing live and exciting crowds that makes all of their shows unforgettably good.
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Album Review: The Amazons – How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me?
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